TEMPERANCE AND THE WAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16399, 2 June 1915, Page 2

TEMPERANCE AND THE WAR

DISCUSSION BY DUNEDIN PRESBYTERY. The importance of combating the evils of the drink traffic ill the present national crisis came before the Dunedin Presbytery through several communications which it received yesterday, and temperance questions occupied a considerable portion of the Presbytery's time. The Clerk (the Rev. J. Chisholm) stated that replies had been received from the Prime Minister and all Cabinet Ministers to the Presbytery's communication forwarding its resolution urging that restrictions be imposed upon the sale of intoxicating liquor to members of the Expeditionary Force. Mr Massey, in replying, stated that the views expressed in the resolution were noted and would have the careful consideration of the Government. The replies of other Ministers were to the same effect.

'l'lie Hon. James Allen replied at some length, stating that the subject had been in his mind for many months past, and that he had tried to think out a solution of this very difficult problem. Doubtless the Presbytery was aware that they had prohibited drink of any kind in the camp at Trentham. They had also issued a proclamation preventing the selling of liquor in bottles to troopers to take away, and one hotel at any rate had been placed out of bounds. He was prepared to treat others similarly if breaches of the regulations were reported to him. He found it hard to believe that placing all hotels out of bounds would be the cure of the existing evil. Though such a prohibition might prevent the trooper in New Zealand from securing intoxicating liquor at a public bar, as soon as he was outside the shores of New Zealand he would come different conditions, such as in Egypt, where the liquor, even by unlicensed sellers, was at his disposal. What would he do then when he found himself with the liberty of men outside New Zealand and in contact with all these temptations around him, especially if he felt he had been treated as a child in New Zealand'! He suggested to the Presbyterian Church and to the churches generally, that, though the prohibiting ot the bar in New Zealand might appear to them to be the way to diminish drunkenness in this country, it was not the way to make a man strong enough to resist temptation when he was in tue middle of things that might tempt him. He knew how difficult it was so to train men that they might resist temptation, and the path of such training was beset with huge difficulties, and he sometimes felt that those who were in earnest about this question were appalled by these difficulties and sought to find an easier Toad but a much less efficient ono for the purpose. The letter was accorded the unusual compliment of a round of applause from members of Presbytery.

With reference t6 the same motion of the Dunedin Presbytery, the Temperance Committee of the General Assembly replied stating that it had resolved that at the present juncturo it did not deem it wise to pass such a resolution, but that when Parliament opened steps should be taken to get legislation passed to close the hotels at 6 p.m. during the course of the war and also during the weekly half-holi-day. The committee further recommended Presbyteries and sessions to urge their people to pledge themselves to total abstinence from intoxicating liquors during the course of the war and to promote pledge-signing to this end. The Clerk pointed out that tl.o Xhinedin Presbytery had already done what was asked.

The letter was received, and on the motion of the Rev. I. K. M'lntyre it was decided to call for reports from ministers at the next meeting of the Presbytery as to whether they had carried out the Presbyter/s wishes in the matter, and with what success.

The Secretary of the Council of Churches wrote that' the council had been discussing Lord Kitchener's temperance pledge and similar matters with a view to entering upon some vigorous campaign. They asked for a conference with the Presbytery's Temperance Committee to work out a programme for united action. The Revs. R. S. Gray (chairman) and W. Saunders (secretary) would represent the council.

The moderator and the clerk and the Rov. Messrs Fairmaid and Kilpatrick were appointed to represent the Presbytery at the proposed conference.